Routines at 5 months!???

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Hello my ds is 5.5 months and we don't have a routine in place for daytime! He still wakes three times (sometimes less) during the night so I find that we dnt end up waking up till around 8:30-9 because we are both so tired, he comes into bed with me at 6:30 on the dot each day! He tends to nap anywhere between an hour and a half and two and a half hrs later for 30 mins then naps from then vary there are no specific times that he goes down or eats! The problem I have is that his nursery want to do a home visit and gauge his routine so when he goes to nursery in jan they understand what his day is like! They want to discuss this at the end of sept so my worry is that he doesn't have a strict routine and surely it's likely to change by January!? Little unsure whether I need to be putting a stricter routine in place?
Can I ask what routines those of you with 5.5 months old have please including bed times??
Thanks in advance x

My daughter is just 5 months and our vague routine is as follows;

Bath 6.30pm, bottle and down to sleep by 7.30pm. I've tried to make it later, but she just can't stay awake and gets overtired.
Wakes once anywhere between 2am-4am and has 8oz. Back to sleep until 7ish.
Playtime for about 1-1.5 hours then feed then sleep for about 45 mins.
Play, change do whatever until 12 then has another feed followed by another nap for about an hour.
Again then play do whatever etc until 4pm for another feed. Unusually try and go out at this time to the supermarket to keep her awake for a bit. She usually sleeps on the way home in the car, then awake until bath time.
It's by no means regimented but it's a vague routine to work to.
Hope that helps?!

Hey, mine is also just 5 months and I tend to follow her lead but most days it goes like this -

Feed then bed at 8pm.
Wakes up around 4.30am pop dummy in.
Wakes again at 6am for feed.
Back to bed until 9am
Hang around till she's hungry at 9.30/10am. Feed.
Get ready and go out for a bit.
Back for a quick 30-40 min nap about 12.00/12.30
Feed her at 13.30/14.00 pm
Play then nap at 15.00 for 1.5/2 hours.
Feed, play, cat nap.
Feed at 8 pm then bed.

And repeat...

I can make you feel better - we have no routine either :) dc2 is nearly 5 months and the only vaguely routine thing is her 11am feed! We get up around 6.30-7ish unless it was a rough night and she's still sleeping at that point. She's generally tired after 90min or so after waking but won't always go down for a nap as she'll only either feed to sleep or sleep in the sling. Boob naps throughout the day can be 20min or it can be 2-3 hours if she's in the sling on daddy. Even if I do get her down for 7ish in the evenings she usually wakes an hour or so later, so I'm not sure it's worth the hassle to be honest.

See?! No routine whatsoever
Maybe I need to create one soon...

Little one I look after (5.5 months) follows Gina Ford beautifully and has slept though (bottle at 10pm) since about 4.5 months. I highly recommend it! You'll need to keep to the routine for a few days, couple of weeks before you might see the changes working but do have a go.

If it helps any we only had a rough routine by 5 months. Bed was around 8-10 pm. Woke up when dh went to work. Then nap 1-1.5 hours later. Feeding was all over the place (bf). A week or so into weaning a routine suddenly appeared. I hadn't set it. She just fell into one herself. The only part I set was lunchtime was 12-1ish and tea is around 5-6ish. Now she is ready for her bed and usually asleep by 8-8.30, we start the bath, book and boob ritual about 7.15ish.

Thanks everyone , it seems most of your little ones sleep through the night too - your so lucky.
I tried to put my lo to bed at 7.30pm last night as he was shattered (doesn't nap enough during the day it think) and he didn't sleep until 8.30 then woke 11, 2, 3.40 and then 6.30 its tiring. When I put him to bed later he sleeps better although still wakes twice but he is so grumpy in the eves that I thought he should go to bed earlier!! Im starting to feel that a routine would help him settle as he would know where he was IYSWIM!
Theiron - isn't Gina Ford very strict? I have heard good and bad?

I know once a routine is in place it will be fine but I am pretty relaxed and definitely not a routine person so putting it in place is going to be hard especially if its really strict! Perhaps I will buy a book second hand and have a read.

Im fairly sure though that his routine will change by the time he goes to nursery as I will be going to work he wont be having breakfast at home etc so maybe I shouldn't worry too much at this stage!?!?!? Who knows lol

I would be happy to have an evening back tbh but my DP thinks we should push his bedtime back because his nights are so bad and its exhausting for me! Not sure what to do for the best!

Just found Gina Fords book on my book shelf, must have been a gift at some point so will have a look at the routine and see whether we can implement this

Just picking up on this line from your post: I am pretty relaxed and definitely not a routine person so putting it in place is going to be hard especially if its really strict!

Same here! I have never followed a strict routine for myself - I eat when hungry, go to bed when tired, so didn't imagine I'd do the same for my baby.
She's 7 months and her 'routine' has varied month by month as she has grown and her needs have changed. It's always been led by her rather than enforced by me.

If you want to implement a strict routine that's absolutely fine, but I'd suggest that if you're not the kind of Mum who thrives on routine then you might well find that your baby is not the kind of baby who thrives on routine.

I wouldn't worry too much about what the nursery want or say. You are quite right that everything will be different by January. Just tell them that you are not routine led but that your son eats at vaguely this time, sleeps at vaguely this time, etc.

Again - if you WANT a routine then that's great but if you don't feel it's necessary for any reason besides nursery demands then don't stress yourself out trying to implement it.

Thank you and I agree with what your saying! My mum feels that my son would benefit from a routine as he is a bad night sleeper but I'm not sure! I hate routine as don't like to feel restricted but wasn't sure whether babies need routine. It's good to see I'm not the only one with a strict routine and it still works for your lo! I may try and get up earlier and see whether this in turn helps with the night sleeping and naps but not put in place a full on day if routine especially as I like to go out with him and wouldn't want to feel restricted!
I'm fairly sure that once he goes to nursery his routine will change as they will feed when they feed and not tiny timings etc so it's bound to change anyways! Perhaps it's more the sleep pattern they r after!? I will speak to them and chat it through x

A routine can be as flexible as you need it to be, but some babies do need a routine to settle properly.

We go out every day, and at 5.5 months she sleeps 9-10, 12:30-2:30, 4:30-5:10 approxomatly. Those sleep times vary sometimes, and that's fine. If we're out she gets put to sleep in the buggy. I make it clear as I lay it completely flat, put the sun shade all zipped up so it's darker and I say night night.

She settles herself with minimal, if ever fuss for all sleeps at home, and if she wakes mid sleep she will usually settle back off to sleep again. Out and about it's more of an issue as there's too much she wants to look at but I factor that in if she drops back off to sleep later, so I know she's had about the right amount as she'd normally have to sleep properly for her parents later.

I know not everyone likes a strict routine but I do think many babies benefit from them. It doesn't mean you have to stay in, or miss out on anything. It just gives you the backbone of a routine to follow through the day.

I think nursery will just want a vague routine, and there's a lot of time between now and then.

Ideally she will be able to settle for a nap in cot without too much help, so maybe try and install main nap time in cot/ Moses basket so she gets used to it?

They prob want to know stuff more like does she usually eat then sleep, or does she sleep then usually want good after etc, so they have a vague idea of what she prefers. Whether she's only ever settled by one person, or happy with other know people etc

My DS is 5.5 months old and the only routine he has is that I start getting him ready for bed at 7.30pm.

However, that means nothing really as some nights he's asleep by 8.30pm and other nights it's nearer 10pm.

He feeds when he wants and naps when he wants. Nothing I seem to do makes any difference

Just to add to this. My routine has gone out the window today! All my daughter has done is sleep. She's on her third nap which has now lasted 2 hours, growth spurt??
She's got through the awful 4 month sleep regression and now sleeping for England! Don't know what to do with myself!!

I think by Jan it'll be much easier to see a pattern. Once they're established on solids that will provide a natural routine for the day. Your baby will probably regulate down to one/two naps and will have dropped a few feeds. Also, they tend to get tireder earlier once mobile so bedtime will be earlier.
I'd speak to someone at the nursery about your concerns and see what they suggest but I can't believe that they expect nothing to change between now and then anyway.

Thanks everybody for your replies I appreciate them!
It's good to see I am not the only one with no routine!
I have tried to implement one over the last few days which I'm struggling with lol but ds seems to be ok with it except at night it seems the earlier he goes down the more he wakes for milk :-(
It's swings and roundabouts I guess as I'm sure it will all change again soon lol x

I wouldn't worry about putting him onto a routine. Just make a note over a few days of when he tends to feed, sleep and wake, and give that to them.

A couple of weeks before he's due to start make notes again - you'll find that he probably does operate on some sort of pattern even if you're not aware. And nurseries aren't tyrants, they're not going to insist he sticks to it to the letter! :) Just explain you don't have much of a routine because you follow his cues but this is roughly what times he feeds and sleeps.

I never had a routine, I get stressed out just at the thought!

My 5.5 month old ds's routine is;
5am breast feed
7am wakes up
7.30 breakfast
10ish breast feed and then sleep
12 lunch
2.30 breastfeed and then sleep
5 tea followed by bath
6.30 breast feed and bed
He has fallen into this routine, the timings are basically the same for food etc but day time naps do vary as to what we are doing. He gets a dream feed at 10pm but still does wake up around 2.30 am and then at 5am (class the 5am as morning though :(). Hope this helps.